Banana-Nutella Ice Cream

Last weekend, I had a huge craving for crêpes. Bananas and Nutella are usually my favorite crepe toppings and I thought to myself – I bet together they’d make a pretty great ice-cream combination. I was also looking for an excuse to use my ice-cream machine because my roommate kept taunting me about the large amount of space the freezer bowl was taking up, especially given how long it had been since I had last used it. Thankfully it turned out to be a warm weekend, great for ice cream, and the results didn’t disappoint. It’s also an incredibly fast recipe as you don’t really need to make any sort of custard before putting the mixture into the ice-cream maker – just blend together all the ingredients, and they’re ready to go into the mixer.

I eventually ended up using the ice cream as a topping for some darn good crêpes that my roommate whipped up the same morning (recipe for those coming soon!). I was also watching an old episode of The Next Food Network Star, which reminded me of how much I love Bobby Flay, and if you like the flavors in this recipe, you should definitely try out his Nutella and Banana Sandwich.

Using a blender or food processor, process the Nutella and bananas until smooth and thick. Sift in the cocoa, and process again to blend. Lastly, add the cream and process until completely blended and smooth.

Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Pour the chilled mixture to an ice cream maker, and process according to manufacturer’s directions. Once the ice cream is mostly frozen and has a consistency similar to soft-serve, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 30 minutes to harden up.